Why are the secular leaders silent on triple talaq which has a bearing on half of the Muslim population in the country? Why do you want to deprive Muslim women of a dignified life?

Why are the secular leaders silent on triple talaq which has a bearing on half of the Muslim population in the country? Why do you want to deprive Muslim women of a dignified life? These were some of the questions posed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on his maiden visit to Bihar today. Harping on emotive issues like triple talaq, ban on illegal slaughter houses and Ayodhya temple, Adityanath slammed his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar for keeping quiet on issues concerning people, especially the vexed triple talaq matter. Addressing a public meeting at Raj Maidan here, the priest-turned-politician took on Kumar and other “secular” leaders for their “silence” on the triple talaq issue, which, he said has a bearing on half of the Muslim population in the country.

“You (Nitish Kumar) have not spoken a word on triple talaq – a raging issue affecting Muslim women in the country and is being dealt by the judiciary. Why are secular leaders silent on the issue? Why do you want to deprive dignified life to these women?” he asked. He hit out at “secular” leaders for “duplicity in public life” and said they say one thing and do another. The BJP leader also hit back at his detractors for painting him as “anti-Muslim” and expressing fear about the future of the minority community after he took charge in March this year.

“The Muslim people feel safe and secure under the BJP rule in Uttar Pradesh and that sufficiently answers questions raised (by my detractors). Even Muslim women say that they are safe under the BJP rule,” Adityanath said. He was quick to add about his government’s setting up of anti-Romeo squads to deal with eve teasers. The UP chief minister said he firmly believed in the Constitution and his government has implemented various development and welfare schemes for the benefit of all sections of society. “There is rule of law in Uttar Pradesh…my government will not allow anyone to break law…it is the government’s duty to guarantee security of all and the law will deal firmly with those violating rules,” he said.

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Aditynath referred to his government’s decision to ban illegal slaughter houses within 24 hours of assuming charge and dared Kumar to do the same in Bihar. On the Ayodhya issue, the Uttar Pradesh chief minister said the work on the Ram temple would be done as per the expectations of the people. Adityanath, whose Darbhanga visit was part of the celebration of the Narendra Modi government completing three years in power, hailed the prime minister for his visionary leadership and work on all fronts with the slogan ‘Sab ka Sath, Sab ka Vikas.’ He came down hard on Nitish Kumar and his Grand Alliance government for lack of development in Bihar, which, he said, was leading to massive migration from the state to other parts of the country for work.

“There is an atmosphere of ‘hatasha’ (despair), ‘nirasha’ (disappointment) and ‘andhkaar’ (darkness) in Bihar at present,” he said and wondered why the eastern state was lagging behind in development when the Centre was doing everything possible for the country’s progress. The UP CM also hit out at Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad for sticking together to rule Bihar and quoting a couplet by Rahim said they looked so ‘bemel’ (unconnected). Adityanath, who also tried to send out the message of age-old warmth between the people of Awadh and Mithila regions, announced construction of Ayodhya-Sitamarhi road project to boost tourism between the birth place of Lord Rama at Ayodhya and his wife Sita’s birth place at Janakpur located close to Sitamarhi in Bihar.

Recalling that Bihar had provided leadership to the country from time to time and citing the example of the anti-corruption movement led by Jai Prakash Narayan in the 1970s, Adityanath appealed to the people of the state to bring BJP to power in 2020 to fast track development in tandem with the Narendra Modi government at the centre. “The change of guard in Bihar is necessary for integrated development of the country,” he said and appealed to the youths to be the catalyst for change in the state.

Adityanath said he would visit Bihar at regular intervals and cover all its districts by the time the next Assembly polls take place in late 2020 and help usher in change of guard in the state. He also urged the people to take part in large numbers at the third International Yoga Day on June 21 and credited the prime minister with making yoga an integral part of the lives of the people in the country and abroad.